Why Adaptable Leaders Don't Panic - And What They Do Instead
By Suzie Thoraval
The everyday adaptability loop that strengthens mindset, flexibility, and resilience
“Life doesn’t get easier or more forgiving; we get stronger and more resilient.”
Last week, I was walking to a networking event when my shoe suddenly broke. There were no shops nearby, the event was about to start, and I was dressed in sparkly heels that were now completely useless.
As I stood on the footpath wondering what to do, I noticed a motorcycle workshop with its doors open. Inside were three men having a beer after work. I hesitated for a moment and then hobbled over there and asked if they happened to have any glue to put my shoe back together - even if just to get through the evening. They didn’t — but after some searching and discussion, they decided to drill a small hole and fit a rivet to hold the strap in place. The first attempt didn’t hold; the second did. They added one to the other shoe for good measure.
It struck me later that asking for help from strangers — and accepting it — was the real turning point in the evening. I couldn’t fix the problem alone, but by pausing, explaining what I needed, and working with what was available, I found a way forward.
That moment summed up how adaptability often works: calm, collaborative, and practical.
Why this matters (and the cost of ignoring it)
In leadership, things “break” every day — a project stalls, a meeting veers off course, or a decision unravels when new information arrives. The test for us is how we can adjust in these moments that don’t follow our plan.
When pressure rises suddenly, our instinct is to move fast. Yet speed without clarity often amplifies confusion.
Studies in neuroscience suggest that under stress, our brain’s threat system narrows perception. A short pause — even one deep breath — gives the brain a chance to reset so the next step is thoughtful, not automatic.
When leaders skip that moment, tension spreads quickly. When they stay calm, others match that energy. Over time, these small acts of composure shape culture far more effectively than any written strategy.
Adaptability also relies on connection. When leaders reach out, ask questions, and involve others, they expand both perspective and capacity. Over time, those small acts of composure and inclusion shape culture more powerfully than any written strategy.
I call it everyday adaptability — the ability to pause, clarify what matters, adjust, and move forward with steadiness.
It follows a simple rhythm I use in my coaching work, the Everyday Adaptability Loop: Pause → Clarify → Scan → Try → Adjust → Close.
Special thanks to Eddie, Tookey & Rosco at Moto-Social Workshop for their help!
Why it works
The Everyday Adaptability Loop works because it’s grounded in how our brains and behaviour function under stress.
Neuroscientist David Rock found that uncertainty triggers the brain’s threat response, reducing access to reasoning and empathy. Simple actions — breathing, slowing speech, naming what’s happening — reopen the pathways for clear thinking.
Behavioural researcher Francesca Gino showed that when people treat challenges as experiments rather than problems, creativity and calm both increase. Framing disruption as something to explore restores agency and focus.
Psychologist George Bonanno describes resilience as flexibility: shifting between persistence and change as the situation demands. Together, these insights explain why small resets — brief pauses and quick adjustments — help leaders stay grounded even in chaos.
The same method that restores clarity in individuals under stress also helps to stabilise teams and organisations. When a leader pauses before deciding, others feel permission to think, not panic.
Adapting in a crisis
During the 2020 bushfires and early months of the pandemic, the Australian Red Cross and Victorian local councils faced relentless uncertainty. Conditions changed daily — evacuations, safety protocols, supply routes.
Local recovery leaders created structure in the chaos. They held short check-ins to clarify what mattered most that day, paused before reacting to new information, and adjusted plans hour by hour. Local councils reassigned staff to community outreach overnight, supported residents directly, and shared learning across regions.
Those calm, adaptive actions helped people feel supported through these crises. The steadiness came from purpose, not control — a lived example of the Everyday Adaptability Loop.
Whether you’re leading a recovery effort or a project team, the pattern holds: small, calm steps keep momentum moving when plans break.
Later in the evening - shoes in tact!
Everyday adaptability in practice
Adaptability grows through daily habits that protect thinking time and steady emotions more than through grand gestures.
You can practise it using what I call the everyday adaptability loop:
Pause to reset: One slow breath before responding can change what you decide to do next
Clarify purpose: Ask, “What matters most right now?”
Scan and act: Look for available people, resources, and options to help solve the problem
Try, then adjust. Test a small action and refine based on what you learn
Close the loop. Reflect on what helped you stay steady and solve the issue.
We’ve all had moments where something fails mid-meeting — slides crash, tech freezes, a key person drops out. The difference between panic and success often starts with calmly taking a moment and thinking about what we can do next.
That short pause creates calm and helps you to think more clearly about the path forward.
Ask yourself:
What’s really happening here, and what assumptions might I be making?
What small step could help right now — and who might help me take it?
How can I create space to pause before reacting so I respond with clarity?
What tone or energy will help my team stay steady through this?
When things settle, what will I take from this that strengthens how I lead next time?
A question to sit with
Adaptability rarely looks dramatic. It’s the ordinary act of staying centred when something unexpected happens — a breath, a question, or the courage to ask for help and work with what’s gone wrong.
That broken-shoe moment reminded me that cultivating a centred approach often begins with connection: pausing, reaching out, and finding a way forward together.
When leaders make those resets visible, they show others that calm and progress can coexist. Over time, that rhythm becomes the strength behind confident leadership — steady, humane, and real.
When something goes wrong, what helps you regain focus and look for steps toward the solution?
